Columbus experts share tips on tax deadline

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - A bit of good news for individuals and families who have still not filed this year's tax returns - preparation offices across the Chattahoochee Valley are hard at work, getting every document together, to submit them to the IRS before the deadline is up.

Cedric Mitchell, Branch Manager at Supreme Fast Tax on Wynnton Road, said there are several documents filers need to have with them if they come into an office or choose to send their information online.

"Healthcare information...it is the law now," Mitchell said. "So people are now going to get 10-95 A's, B's, C's. They want to bring all the W-2's, all of them should have been delivered by this point in the season."

Other documents Mitchell suggests filers have with them, include their children's school documentation for filing a 1098 T, as well as information on bonds and stocks.

Mitchell said there are some misconceptions that people still have when coming to file taxes, so he wants to help clear one of them up.

"What I hear a lot is," Mitchell said, "people ask, 'Well, how many years do you have to file?'

"You have to file every year. It's not optional. It is the law of the land," he said. "Where people get confused, is you can do an amendment or an adjustment to your taxes. You can fix the current year, and then the two previous years."

Mitchell said if this feels like too much for a filer to finish in a short amount of time, they can file for an extension. That extension, however, must be submitted by midnight.

In order to receive that extension, filers will need to fill out a 4868 form. It might incur a small penalty from the IRS, but that will grant tax filers some time - at least until October 15 - to have all their affairs in order.

The IRS already expects a major influx of returns over the next couple days. The agency reported back in 2016, that one out of five Americans filed their taxes between April 8 and April 22.